The present invention relates to a bed and more particularly to a bed having a high degree of mobility.
As the population ages there are increasing numbers of persons in institutions and at home who require bed care. The handling of these persons presents problems of moving them from one place to another and also of positioning them on their beds to carry out bodily and other functions. This increases the demands on the personnel who provide the services and the care required. During a time of fiscal and budgetary restraints, as well as shortages of personnel willing to perform these functions, there is great impetus for finding ways of carrying out these needed functions with far few persons.
For a long period of time, the special needs of bedded patients and other persons have been recognized and efforts have been exerted to develop specialized beds to assist workers and others to perform the functions enumerated above. The following United States Patents illustrate some of these efforts.
U.S. Pat. No. 525,959 issued in 1894 illustrates a bed which is movable into a sitting position.
U.S. Pat. No. 961,273 shows a bed for an invalid having multiple positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,428,462 discloses a bed which is segmented.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,529,699 illustrates an adjustable hospital bed on wheels articulated in two places.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,997 shows a vertical access convalescent bed adjustable between horizontal and vertical positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,929 discloses a bed with adjustable positions to permit the taking of X-rays of the patient.
None of the preceding patents teaches the present invention.